Have you ever heard of oil pulling? I had not up until about one month ago when I caught a segment on the Dr. Oz show. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s an ancient Ayurvedic technique that has been practiced for centuries in India. And it involves swishing oil in your mouth every morning for up to twenty minutes until it turns a thin, milky white consistency. And why do that? Because practitioners believe that oil pulling cures everything from diabetes to chronic bad breath.
And in this particular study, researcher Michelle Hurlbutt, came up with some interesting findings. She studied groups of adults with high levels of mouth bacteria. One group swished with sesame oil, another group with coconut oil and the last group with water. The sesame oil peeps reported a five fold decrease in mouth bacteria, while the coconut oil participants enjoyed a two fold decease while maintaining a regular, daily schedule of oil pulling. The key is to not swallow the oil because you will just ingest the bacteria you worked so hard to eliminate from your body and to spit the used oil in the trash so it won’t clog up the sink. And use an edible, organic oil that you aren’t sensitive or allergic to. I am going to try this cleansing ritual, are you?
